Smartphones

ROG Phone 3 has a super-secret 160Hz mode

Accessed with some debugging

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Recently, ASUS launched the ROG Phone 3, bringing out the best of today’s gaming segment. One of the phone’s highlight is the silky smooth 144Hz display. As you might have noticed, today’s smartphones are pushing the limits of refresh rates, packing in monitor technology into a phone-sized package. However, unbeknownst to consumers, ASUS is harboring a huge secret. Apparently, the ROG Phone 3 has a super-secret 160Hz mode.

Spotted by XDA Developers, the new gaming phone is hiding the heightened refresh rate inside its files. Normally, when you configure the display’s refresh rate in the Settings, you can access only the advertised options: auto, 60Hz, 90Hz, 120Hz, and 144Hz. The hidden 160Hz isn’t available out of the box.

However, after a short debugging process detailed in the report, users will be able to access the 160Hz refresh rate from the same set of options. Notably, the process isn’t hacking the mode in. Rather, the option is already inside the phone’s coding. The process just opens it up again. This means that the 160Hz option was considered prior to the phone’s launch.

According to the report, the blazing fast refresh rate must not have made it past the testing phase. However, the option does work and doesn’t cause any huge problems for the phone after activation.

Of course, normal users might not find much use for the hidden setting yet. Currently, the ROG Phone 3’s 144Hz display is already pushing it, making gaming much smoother even in normal apps. It’s still nice that the ROG Phone 3 has a super-secret 160Hz mode regardless. Further, the hidden setting might hold clues to the industry’s eventual future.

SEE ALSO: ASUS ROG Phone 3 review: More than just a spec monster?

Smartphones

Motorola updates the razr family with its first book-style phone

Plus, here’s the new moto buds 2 plus.

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Motorola isn’t a fan of making fans wait. Instead of drip-feeding its devices throughout the year, the brand has launched four phones and a pair of buds in one fell swoop.

An update to razr

No points for guessing the razr family as the highlight of this batch of launches. Once again, motorola is updating its foldables for the year.

First up is the razr ultra. The premium outing has a 7-inch foldable screen with 1224 x 2992 resolution. This is paired with a 4-inch cover screen. Inside, it has a Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB of storage.

All of these are capped off with a trio of 50-megapixel shooters. Finally, it will have a 5000mAh battery with 68W wired charging.

Meanwhile, the razr+ has a 6.9-inch 1080 x 2640 main screen, paired with a 4.0-inch 1272 x 1080 cover screen. Under the hood, the phone has a Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 chipset, with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. It has a 50-megapixel main camera, a 50-megapixel ultra-wide camera, and a 32-megapixel selfie shooter. Finally, it has a 4500mAh battery with 45W charging.

Rounding off the family, the new razr has a similar main screen but a smaller 3.6-inch 1056 x 1066 cover screen. It has a MediaTek Dimensity 74350X chipset, paired with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. The phone also has the same cameras as the plus variant. Finally, the base model will have a 4800mAh battery with 30W charging.

Turning the foldable by 90 degrees

For years, the razr family has thrived with clamshell-type foldables. Now, for the first time ever, the family has a book-style foldable in the new razr fold.

The razr fold has a sizable 8.1-inch 2484 x 2232 main screen with a 6.6-inch 2520 x 1080 secondary screen. Under the hood, the phone has a Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 processor with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage.

 

The main camera setup consists of a 50-megapixel main sensor, a 50-megapixel ultra-wide camera, and a 50-megapixel telephoto camera. This trio is supplemented by a 32-megapixel cover screen camera and a 20-megapixel shooter for the foldable screen.

Finally, it will have a huge 6000mAh battery inside.

Introducing the moto buds 2 plus

That’s it for the phones. To conclude this batch, motorola also launched the new moto buds 2 plus. The wearable comes with Dynamic Active Noise Cancellation and spatial audio bolstered by six microphones.

The battery case can hold up to 40 hours of life. Meanwhile, the earbuds themselves can hold up to nine hours of juice.

Price, availability

All four phones will start coming out on May 14. The base razr sells for US$ 799.99. The razr+ sells for US$ 1,099.99. Meanwhile, the razr ultra retails for US$ 1,499.99. And finally, the new razr fold sells for US$ 1,899.99.

On the other hand, the moto buds 2 plus retails for US$ 149.99 and comes in PANTONE Silhouette.

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Next year’s iPhone might have a curved Liquid Glass screen

A lot of plans are in store for the iPhone’s 20th anniversary.

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Apple’s Liquid Glass design marked a return to the three-dimensional aesthetic of Windows Vista. Not content with letting the new design thrive solely on the software side, Apple is reportedly bringing “Liquid Glass” to the iPhone’s hardware.

Next year is important to the history of the iPhone as the ubiquitous phone will celebrate its 20th anniversary. Apple will definitely have major plans to herald the milestone.

According to rumors (via Ice Universe on X), the 20th anniversary iPhone will have a “curved display,” much like the aesthetics of Liquid Glass. However, the device will not be “anything like the curved screen solutions we have seen on Android phones over the years.”

Instead, the iPhone’s curve will be subtle and will rely on “optical refraction” to produce the illusion of a truly curved screen. The ultimate goal is to reduce the bezel as much as possible, creating an all-screen iPhone.

Naturally, such a form factor comes with questions. For example, where will Apple store the Dynamic Island and its hardware underneath? How will cases work if there are no bezels?

It’s still very early in the news cycle of next year’s iPhone. In fact, reports about the iPhone 18 series are just getting started. As with all rumors this early on, take it with a grain of salt. However, if anything, incorporating “Liquid Glass” into the iPhone’s hardware feels poetic.

SEE ALSO: Foldable iPhone might be called the iPhone Ultra

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Foldable iPhone might be called the iPhone Ultra

Goodbye, iPhone Fold.

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With so many rumors coming out as of late, it’s fair to assume that the first foldable iPhone is really coming this year. Right now, there’s still so much time before its projected launch date in the fall, meaning a lot of chances for more rumors to pop out. Case in point, today sees the rumored name for this upcoming device show up: the iPhone Ultra.

We’ve been calling the foldable iPhone as the iPhone Fold for a while now. After all, what else would you call a foldable in a world dominated by the Galaxy Z Fold and Flip series?

According to a new rumor from Macworld, Apple will resurrect the Ultra moniker, which last made an appearance in the Apple Watch Ultra series, for its upcoming premium iPhone model. The foldable iPhone will be called, very simply, the iPhone Ultra.

Much like the iPhone Air, the iPhone Ultra will not have a number in its name, making it distinct from the upcoming iPhone 18 series. As a foldable, it makes sense for Apple to establish its own series for the form factor.

Additionally, Apple will reportedly use the same Ultra naming convention for a new series of MacBooks with a touchscreen OLED display. The MacBook Ultra might come out next year.

Both the iPhone Ultra and the MacBook Ultra will likely occupy top spots in Apple’s gallery of devices. Apple has even reportedly pushed the regular iPhone 18 duo’s launch to next year, clearing the room for the Pro duo and the Ultra for this fall’s event.

SEE ALSO: Apple’s iPhone Fold reportedly hits engineering delays

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